Wild Rock
by Gianduja
Summary: An AU Seifer x Squall that takes place in a jungle setting, where Seifer is a hunter and Squall is his feline prey.
1. Hunter of Enba: Seifer

**Wild Rock**   
By Rarukuchan 

**_Why_**: Someone was bored. That someone was me. Besides, the world sooo needs more AU fics with Seifer x Squall as the base pairing. I'm kinda being sarcastic, but not. And, Squall naked with cat ears and a tail is damn seksey. 

**_Where_**: The story takes place in an Alternate Universe where Seifer is a tribesman and hunter to his band of jungle living kinsmen. He wears a loincloth ^.^V. The village his tribe lives in is called 'Enba' and it borders the jungle, which is uncreatively named the 'Borderlands.' 

**_What_**: Seifer, the hunter of Enba, once had a mission. Only to be set off course by a creature he once hunted. 

((AND… I'll come up with a summary… laaater… but not now. Too lazy. Want to know the story, go read it. Don't? Fine, don't read it.)) 

**_Warnings_**: AU-ness, OOC-ness, weirdass-ness coupled with frenzied mating between a Seifer and a Squall. A tanned loinclothed Seifer (drool… ackack… drooool…) and a kitty Squall ^-^ (sex kitty?). I hope to make this have lemony freshness… bwahahahahaha. 

The markings of '~~*~~' indicate change in point of view, scenery, time, etc. It shouldn't be too hard to understand… I hope. The bestiary has been made from my interest in mythological creatures and beasts. I wanted to use beasts in the FFVIII world, but I don't have my strategy guide on me. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

The beast snarled, its tusks gleaming under the sunlight. It lunged forward, trying to take down the man that stood before it. Dodging, the hunter sped forward, blade in hand, and leapt upward. He jumped up, gracefully, as if wings were attached to his beaten sandals. Howling angrily, the bear sized boar tried to spear the man. Once again dodging, the hunter fell forward, avoiding the piercing ivory tusks, aiming for a life-preserving artery of the beastly boar. His blade glinted as the sunbeams danced off the edges of it. 

Piteous squeals filled the air, harsh and grating. The beast moaned and snarled, trying to heave the man and his heavy blade from the side of his throat. Sparing it not one glance, the hunter plunged the weapon deeper and tugged it upwards to slit the beast's throat. It relented and heaved once more, before its massive brown eyes dilated, indicating its passing. 

The man sighed. The hunting of these once vicious boars… was surely getting to be boring. In fact, most of the beasts that dwelled in the ferocious and untamed jungle, or Borderlands, were easy pickings for this hunter. From mammoth boar to poisonous snakes, that were three times his size, to manticores and whatever else lived in the humid forest; Seifer, the hunter of Enba, did not fear them at all. Sighing once more, the blonde man got off the back of the dead boar. His blade was still stuck in its massive neck. One strong tug pulled the blade out. This particular boar was a bit smaller than usual, roughly the size of a young bear; perhaps it was just a younger one of the breed. Which meant… tender meat. He smiled at that. The villagers would be most pleased. 

~~*~~ 

Curious eyes watched as Seifer hefted the boar securely over his shoulders. He was preparing to return to his village. 

"Psst… we should go. Like… now." A voice growled. He hating sneaking this close to the area that the villagers dwelled in. They could be kindly to others, but mainly cared for their own kind. It was best not to stray near Enba. 

"… You can go. I shall stay." Another voice announced. The latter voice hissed. 

"Whaaat?! C'moooon Squaaaall. We caaaan't staaay!!" the hissing voice whined. The one named Squall glared at his shorter and quite annoying friend. 

"You can't stay, for you are too loud. I can." He muttered. "Go Zell, you're being annoying." 

"Grrrr, fine… I'll stay and I'll be quiet." Zell growled again, showing off his sharp canines at the unmoved and rather irritated Squall. 

A loud rumbling was heard. 

"… Zell." A dangerous glint filled Squall's steel blue eyes. The fairer colored Zell blushed and stammered apologies. 

"I'm hungry and I smell… I smell… meat… and…" his eyes slanted and his pupils narrowed into dark slits. "Shit! The hunter is coming… Move!" 

Zell nudged Squall… but was a moment too late. 

~~*~~ 

The boar was a bit too heavy. Or maybe the heat made it a bit too hard to carry such a furry, large beast back. The hunter commanded himself to rest… it would do him no harm. He looked around for shade. The time spent resting could be dedicated to polishing his blade, the Hyperion. It was a finely crafted tool, made by his father. It was a reminder of what he did not have and what he had to do to insure no one else would have to suffer from what he had to. Looking over Hyperion, he admired its smooth and undamaged surface. 

A low growl and grumble of a stomach startled Seifer. The hunter glanced at the rustling bushes that lay before him. Silently, he stalked over with the blade at his side. It could be the mother boar looking for her lost young child… or another beast of prey to bring back to Enba. Either way, Seifer was most certainly in the mood for brief bouts of danger. He nudged the bushes and opened them slightly. What he saw, surprised him… 

~~*~~ 

"SHIT! Run now!" Zell yelped. He scrambled from the spot his was sitting in. Squall stared at the person who parted the bushes. The hunter looked at him and reached forward. Their eyes were locked in contact, with Squall still on the ground looking up in wonder. Zell turned back to see Squall had not followed him. 

His arched his neck, leaning back and away from the blonde stranger. He smelled blood; it was smeared all over this man's hands. Blood, from an innocent creature… And here this stranger was, trying to paw Squall. I don't think so. Squall slapped the hands away, leaving a scratch mark on the man. Seifer winced. Regaining his composure, Seifer used the blunt edge of his blade to hit Squall. No contact was made. The target had dodged the blow from the angered man. Thereafter, Squall snarled and ran off, following his scuttling friend. 

They ran and sped off, with hopes the man did not wish to follow. Blonde bangs and fluffy hair whipped around as Zell halted to a jagged stop. He was panting and fearing his life. What was Squall thinking? What was he not thinking?! They should have stayed in the forest. The deep forest, a safe haven of trees and emerald backdrop… far away from civilization. The people of Enba were crazy folks. 

"… I think it's safe." Squall whispered. The pair had run past beyond what was deemed the dangerous part of their jungle realm, for its proximity to the tribes of Enba. Their haste had brought them to the entrance of the caverns of ice and waterfalls. Rapids that came from Shiva's frost realm sped down the rocks above creating a beautiful azure cascade. Zell ran to the side of the river to get a drink. 

"Fffft… it better be. I doubt Enbas would come here. They fear the forest too much." He happily prattled on. HE could relax now… the man was gone and Squall was in no danger of being clubbed to death. "C'mon, Squaaall! Let's go swimming! Now that's a fun thing to do… instead of spying on the cruel people of Enba." 

Squall pointedly ignored the latter and just settled under the shade of a large tree. The fluffy blonde pouted. 

"Fine. I'll swim alone…" and with that he jumped into the rushing rapids… only to jump out of the waters yelping in pain. "WAAAAAAAAAAAAH! COLDCOLDCOLDCOLDCOLDCOLD!!" 

"……." The one resting in the shade rolled his eyes. That idiot knew where the waters came from, the arctic regions, yet he insisted on swimming anyway. His thoughts drifted, ignoring the crying yelps in the background, back to the man who tried to grab him before. The hunter of Enba. 

~~*~~ 

Grunting, Seifer examined his bandaged hand. The hunter was not inclined to follow. They usually traveled in packs. They, the pair he stumbled upon, being the cats of the Borderlands. Where two were, the rest of the pack was bound to be resting or preparing to attack. He frowned. This was an opportunity to finish those beasts off into extinction. Yet… those eyes on that particular cat… 

Seifer decided he just should have ignored that nagging feeling to explore. Pushing aside the bushes to reveal what rustled them… showed him a pair of borderland cat beasts. They were light and tan in coloring, adult males larger than tiger; adult females larger than wolves… and each were meaner than a whole population of rabid jackals. The two he found were young male adults; one had a tuft of blonde spiky mane and blue eyes. That one was surely jumpy and skittish. There was a black etching of a tribal tattoo on the side of his right eye. Or was that 'tattoo' a scar? Meanwhile, the other cat was lithe and looked as if his fur were soft. His cat ears and hair were light auburn, while white fur lined his neck. This cat possessed eyes that held meaning… intelligence? Feeling? Interest? 

No. It couldn't be… cats, like most beasts, are foul and possess the ability to not think but still exist. Seifer shook his head. He never looked into the eyes of beasts before. The cat he locked gazes with, was the exception. Ridding any thoughts of the cat beast that clawed him, Seifer decided he had rested enough. It was time to return back to Enba. The sun was beginning to set and the people would be pleased to know they would be feasting upon fresh meat tonight. 

~~*~~   
"Did you see that bear boar Seifer caught?!" 

"YEAH! It was HUGE! Whatta feast we're having tonight!" 

"I wanna marry the Enba hunter… too bad my parents don't have enough dowry because of my other FIVE sisters! I hate being the youngest." 

"Seifer Seifer Seifer!! Teach us how to hurl a spear later! Pleaaaase!" 

"Children, leave the poor hunter alone… he needs to rest. Thank you for the fur from your catch today. You are too kind… really, you are." 

"Hurrah for Seifer!" 

The man that was given the honored title of "Enba Hunter" smiled at the excited talk of feasts and marriages. He responded to their accolades by raising his handcrafted blade and promising a bigger and better feast tomorrow night. Their happy cheers got louder at that. Some of the villagers went off to gut and clean the boar off for tonight's meal. The pleasant chatter continued well into the night. Jiggling laughing strung up in the air like glimmering lights. Brightening the darkness that followed after the absence of the sun. This night had no moons; the cycles bid the moons to rest for a few days. 

Grabbing a lit torch, Seifer walked up the hill that led to his hut. He was content to bask in comfortable silence and take a hot bath. All was at peace, that is until… 

"Seifer!!" an arm cuffed him, leaning against his shoulder. "Why didn't you take me hunting you miserly fool. I would have loved to help you take down that bear boar with my sniper and deadly precision." 

The blonde laughed and pushed his friend off. 

"Yes, the bear boar is an easy target to fend off… but your betrothed most certainly isn't. She is far scarier that a pack of bear boars in heat." 

His friend doubled over in laughter, shaking his head. 

"Needn't be that cruel about my dearest betrothed." The man laughed. Reddish brown curled locks spilled out from a ponytail and over his shoulders. Giving Seifer a fox like grin, the man continued. "Next time, take me with you. I long for a good hunt… my hands ache and itch to pull back the strings of my dearest sniper bow. I want to hear the whiz of the arrows as I let go…" 

He sighed. Someone stepped out from the shadows, hands on her hip. 

"Oh… but you would fear me, hm? Scary me, the one who's far hornier and brutish than a pack of hot and randy bear boars, right?" a voice questioned. The two men turned to face the short, but formidable Selphie, the betrothed of the sniper, Irvine. 

"How long were you there…" Seifer winced. 

"Guess!" she giggled, throwing herself at Seifer. 

"Oooh, threesome?" Irvine smiled. Selphie smirked. 

"Nuoooo, I want him allll to myself. Mwahahahahha!" the blonde shook his head. 

"Listen, I know I'm sexy, but right now… I'm sweaty and bloody. A full day's worth of hunting does not do wonders for my hygiene." He let Selphie get off his back. Her nose wrinkled at his fetid smell. The pair grumbled but made him promise they could come back to harass him later. 

"Psst… hunting tomorrow perhaps?" the sniper entreated Seifer but was cut off by his betrothed. 

"As if. Hunting is brutish. C'mon dearie… let me show you how much of a bear boar in heat I am, okies?" and with that, they were off. Seifer walked closer to his hut, sighing relaxingly at the prospect of the company of friends, warm food, and a hot bath. 

~~*~~ 

The jungle made things sticky during this time of year. Having fur on your body was a pain. It was too hot. Squall rolled around on the dewy grass. A few of the elders looked at him disapprovingly. He was not a kitten and should not be playful. Squall glared at them, his tail swishing back and forth. A cool off was needed; he was not playing at all. Did he look playful? A familiar tuft of spiky yellow mane was seen above the low swarm of vines. Someone was trying to be sneaky. Keyword… trying. 

Squall licked his paws. "I see you. That was not remotely stealthy." 

The figure creeping behind the low set vines grumbled. The cat jumped out from his bad hiding spot and walked over to his friend in the shade. 

"Sheesh, shoot me down why don'tcha." Zell pouted. 

"I just shot you down." He continued to lick his paws in a bored fashion. Zell's back arched as he hissed. 

"Ffffffffffffftttt!! MEANIE!!" he cried. The elders whispered to each other, commenting on the two young adults that were far beyond being cubs, but still acted as if they were. Deciding these two were noisy, the group of older cats got up and left the shaded area. Zell puffed out his chest. "Thank Ifrit, those elders are annoying… and restricting… and… hey! Let's go swimming!" 

"So you can freeze again?" Squall rolled on the dew-covered grass again, purring. He too was glad the stuffy elder cats had left. His shorter friend scowled at him, tail standing at end. "Whatever…" 

"Fffft. Fine. I'll go swimming… you stay in your dewy shady stupid spot." 

"… Whatever." And with that, Squall settled for a catnap. The sound of retreating footsteps and the diminishing sound of an aggravated Zell, told Squall that his friend had left. Before lifting himself to his feet, Squall peeked around, left and right, seeing if it was safe to leave the pride to explore. Smiling to himself, Squall got up and padded away softly in the direction of the massive lake, Kasakoro, that was nearest to the village Enba. Today, the cat hoped, could be a day to catch a glimpse of that tall blonde hunter. Regardless of the blood he smelled on the long fingered hands, Squall wanted to see the man again. 

~~*~~ 

It was too hot. A miserable day for hunting, fishing would be nice… but the nearest place to fish was the ocean beside the great port city, Balamb. That was quite far away from Enba. The blonde hunter wiped the sweat from his brow. He walked from Enba towards the Borderlands. Tall, lush trees swayed back and forth, dancing with the breeze above the canopy. This waltz of trees caught the hunter off-guard, reminding him of his youth. A fond smile graced his features as he looked upward. It did not sound like such a bad idea to go climbing up one of these large trees to reach the canopy… and the breeze. 

Setting down the heavy goods, but bringing Hyperion and a water sack, Seifer started to climb the largest tree. It was a challenge he'd gladly accept. 

~~*~~ 

"DAMMIT!! SQUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALL!" 

"Hush, the cubs are sleeping Zell." A voice shushed him. Her brown eyes narrowed in an attempt to admonish the hyper cat. 

"Elle, Squall's missing… did you see him? He was last here, in that dewy place… the dew's all gone… maybe he left to find another dewy spot bu… but the sun's probably melted it… still there are other dewy places or maybe he left to find me but I got up to go find him and now he's lost and I can't find him or… or…" 

"Calm down." She patted him. Her tail whisked around, ears flattening at Zell's whizzing and crazed explanation… or lack of one. Looking at her, Zell stilled for a moment, only to jolt on the spot. 

"SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!!" he bounded off without an explanation. The napping cubs cried out all at once, for being stirred up from their afternoon routine. Ellone tried to soothe the crying babes, while looking worriedly at the retreating form of Zell. 

~~*~~ 

After an hour or so, a few bruises and some scratches, Seifer had reached the middle of the tree. The sun was at its highest and it was about a good 15, perhaps 20 feet till the top of the canopy. Hyperion was heavy and cumbersome to carry up, but he did not want to risk losing his prized possession. It was noon and he had only a few small beasts on hand that he had killed. They were laying many feet below. To feed all of Enba, he needed more meat to accompany the roots and vegetables they grew. Time to climb back down, the canopy would remain there for a while and Seifer had all of next week to relax and rest up. After drinking from the water sack, the hunter began to steadily climb down. 

From the height that he was at, Seifer saw a massive slithering snake. It was one of the borderland naga snakes with markings of black that indicated it spat poison. Not very tasty, but worth the hunt for its skin fetched a high price with Galbadian merchants that tailor made snakeskin clothes. This particular naga snakes fangs could be made into a chalice that detected poison, another merit of killing this massive beast. Above these reasons, the best one that pleased Seifer was the passion of the hunt and the danger involved. Whipping out Hyperion from its sheath, the Enba hunter grinned and bounded down the tree. 

The naga snake was pursuing something, a beast that was probably its afternoon snack. Seifer paid no heed. The little beast was buying him time after all; the naga did not notice the hunter at all. Climbing down the lowest branch of the tree, Seifer approached the large snake quietly, making no sound while stepping on the jungle's vine ridden floor. 

~~*~~ 

"Sssssssshtay shhhhhhtill, rodent." 

"I'm no rodent!! I'm a cat!! A CAT!!" Zell cried out. He wanted to find Squall, not a hungry naga. She eyed him pleasantly for he looked delish to her. 

"Sssssssssame thing to me, darling." She hissed out, rearing upward before snapping in for the kill. Her mouth opened to reveal fangs that were about the size of Zell himself. Blood red eyes narrowed in happiness, the naga was to eat a small treat this sunny day. 

"FFFFFTTTT!! I'm not going down without a fight!" the cat snarled. 

"Ssssssssssssure, I love to play with my food." The naga smiled evilly, she darted forward, fangs gleaming. Zell's claws shot out, preparing to gauge as much of her scaly flesh as he could. Yet that moment never came, she drew back, screaming in pain "Iyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" 

"Fffffttt?" his fur was still on end, confused but wasting no time, Zell ran away from the spot the naga had him cornered in. 

"WHO DARESSSSSSSSSS DISSSSSTURB MY AFTERNOON SSSSUPPER!" the naga female shrilly called out. Squall glared coolly at her. 

"SQUAAALL!! You saved me! My hero!!" Zell danced about. His 'hero' rolled his eyes and mouthed the words: 'Run. Now.' 

The blonde colored cat shook his head. Squall frowned. 

"… Whatever." 

"I ain't leaving without you," he growled. The naga reared her head again preparing to attack. The auburn furred cat sighed. They had to run, they were too little in number to take down an adult naga. She bided her time; they were scheming and she would not move until they did. After all, it was a given that she would win. Arching back, Squall hissed at her. The naga did not move. She towered over them like a gigantic scaly sculpture. 

"… Whatever." 

"Whatever my licked ass. She's comatose. Follow my lead. We're outta here, 'kay?!" he muttered and with that, he just ran… without a thought of what the presently stilled naga would do. As Zell rushed off, the naga lunged at him, the snack she had her blood red eyes on earlier. An auburn blur streaked through the air, launching itself onto the naga's body. Squall bit and scratched the armor like body. The other cat maybe annoying and careless, but he was still a good friend. Least he could do was defend this good friend from apparent danger. 

"Inssssssssolent fool." The naga bucked him off. He flopped to the ground. Thank Ifrit, Zell had ran like mad to the clearing ahead. Above him, the mammoth snake was preparing to attack. Her cavernous mouth opened wide to expel hot streaming streaks of silver colored poison. Squall got up quickly, in hopes of dodging the silver spurts but the range of her poison stretched far. He may have run far and fast, but some still hit him, covering him in sticky toxic fluid. The fumes made him dizzy. As usual Zell was slow on the uptake and was seen a few feet away crying at the still figure of Squall. 

"SQUAAAAAAALL!" 

"SSSSILENCE, SSSSNACK." Gleefully, the naga gloated over the cat's panting figure. "You're next." 

The poison hardened, leaving the auburn cat trapped in a silver thorn like jagged mess. He felt so dizzy… was his friend screaming for him to say awake? 

~~*~~ 

That damn naga was giving the hunter quite a chase. The beast she tracked made quite a dash deep into the Borderlands. Seifer had reached uncharted territory. Stalking the massive snake beast gave him a rush that had fled him when hunting became a norm to him. It was hissing angrily now, probably because the prey it trailed had given it such a hard time. The hunter sighed internally, he just should have gauged out the eyes of the naga earlier, rather than letting it play with its food and prey. That would have saved lots of time. It was now midday and the Enba hunter felt as if he wasted a perfectly good day dawdling and playing. Those damn dancing trees, that damn canopy breeze… FOCUS. Focus or you too will be the naga's snack. 

A distressed yowl filled the air. The miserable little beast was probably calling out for reinforcements, Seifer figured as his blade glinted, lusting for blood. His eyes look over at the caught beast… it was… that cat with the emotion filled eyes. It was that auburn colored cat that entranced him previously. The yowl came from the jeering cat that stood close by, the one with the spiky blonde tufts and tribal tattoo-esqued scar. It was hissing angrily at the naga and at the approaching hunter. The auburn cat's icy blue eyes flittered open, he was on the borderlines of consciousness due to the naga's poison. 

Had that foolish beast try to stand up to a creature far worse and vicious than he? Had he bared his fangs and launched himself forward in hopes of winning? Had he felt terror and dread and utter hopelessness as he was being crushed by the weight of failure? Had that cat beast… that beast of the lands… felt the same way Seifer had felt during that moment of failure in his youth? 

Perhaps that cat did… Seifer would never know. Charging forward with Hyperion in the air, the hunter leaned in for the kill. A shrill cry shattered the idyllic silence of the borderlands. 

~~*~~ 

He felt heavy. It was difficult to move and breathe. The thorns of the hardened poison pierced his side, digging into his ribs. Groggily, Squall lifted up his head… and saw… the man he wanted to see all day. 

"Why hello there…" the man smiled. His blade was covered with blood… and Zell was nowhere to be seen. Squall's vigor was renewed, he snarled. Where was his friend?! "Hey, little one… that is no way to treat a savior." 

Hyperion's blunt edge nudged Squall's muzzle upward. The auburn cat's ears had flattened in anger. He writhed under the cage of the naga's poison thorn. The man's blade reeked of the blood of… a naga? Had this one man, a lean and tall hunter, slaughtered the massive naga? Looking beyond the tall man, Squall saw the huge disembodied head of the naga… his eyes widened. This hunter was truly remarkable. He prayed Zell had a swift and painless death by this man and his blade. Meanwhile, Squall would not pass on without taking off this towering figure's hand. 

The Enba hunter raised Hyperion, the sun's rays sliding off its metallic surface, and brought it down with a great force. It made a sickening sound as it hacked through. The cat winced. The cage's thorns dug into his side, but were removed as soon as they were hacked and slashed to pieces by the dark grey blade. Slowly, to make sure no wounds were further aggravated; Seifer removed the sharp pieces of the poisonous remnants. He saw the steel icy blues waver as the auburn cat fought back painful meows. It was trying to be stoic… how cute. 

It hissed at Seifer again. He shook his head. 

"Get away from me." Squall yowled. 

"Easy there, don't meow at me, little beast." Did the man not understand him? 

"Let me go!" the cat hissed angrily. As the hunter tried to lift the beast, it clamped its sharp teeth onto his hands. 

"Oww… fff…" the hunter glowered at the beast, for it drew blood from him yet again. "fuck." 

Dark blue, dark steel blue eyes had a storm brewing in them… and Seifer was caught in the middle of it. Once again, he was lost in the eyes of this auburn pretty thing. It was angry, forlorn, a loner… it's eyes mirrored the Enba hunter's eyes during his youth. Defiant yet fearful, wanting to trust but scared to hope for anything… he saw this in the beast's eyes. The intense stare was returned as Seifer looked into Squall's eyes with the same gravity… but with a bit of warmth attached. As he tried to lift and touch the beast before, it yowled and hissed angrily as if it were speaking. Yet what the hunter heard was 'ffftts' and 'nyaaaaaaaaaorrs.' Now it sat just there, caught in a staring contest with the blonde man, its teeth a tight vice on Seifer's hand. 

"Rrrr…" the cat fumed. The blue eyes faltered, the cat relented and looked away. Long fingers and bloodied knuckles slipped from Squall's mouth. He looked a bit remorseful, but not too apologetic to the naga and beast killer. Hands grabbed him by the tufts of white mane on the back of his neck. Squall was gently lifted into the arms on the hunter. He made no attempt to make eye contact… he felt so humiliated. Zell could have died at this man's hands; so much carnage and this Enba Hunter had murdered so many fellow creatures to die. And here he was, laying in the arms and basking in the warmth. Red blush stained is soft auburn furred cheeks. 

"A fever," the hunter murmured, touching the cat's forehead and cheeks. "This is not good. I better sneak you back to Enba." 

A pink tongue darted out to lick the bloodied hands that pat Squall's cheek. The hunter's eyes had widened in pleasant surprise. The cat was cleaning his wounds. How very cute. It purred in his arms. The sun was setting, making his sneaking of this beast quite convenient. He had no meat to share with the Enba people, but at least the naga would make them cheer joyously once more. The merchants of Deling were arriving soon to show off their wares and barter with zealous villagers. Enba would profit greatly from this large naga and its beautiful scaled body. 

Seifer wrapped the auburn cat in his cloak. He tied the edges together and used the drawstring as a handle; the cat would be snuck in that way. Sighing at the huge mess and the massive dead naga, the Enba hunter thought of how to get this catch to Enba? Reinforcements, perhaps… either way, the beast wrapped in his cloak was feverish and needed medical attention soon. The cat's emotion brimmed eyes were shut in a fitful sleep. Seifer would figure a way to transport the snake later; first things first, get the cat into the village without people noticing. Now that was going to be quite a feat. 

"HEY! Seifer, where have you been." A familiar voice called him. It was the sniper. The village probably sent him. "Enba's missing its idiot, we need you back." 

"Hah hah. Listen, I'd come up with something just as clever to screw you over BUT, I need you to stay HERE as I rush back and get people to lift this naga to Enba." 

"HOLY SHIT! Awwwww… I wish I went out hunting with you. Selphie taught me crocheting today. CROCHET! When I could have been killing a queen sized, a fucking queen sized naga with you. Life sucks…" Irvine sobbed. He was too busy admiring the kill to not noticed the stuffed cloak Seifer quietly pushed behind the bushes. "Sure, man. I can stay put and wait for people to haul this baby out." 

The reddish brown sniper grinned as if HE was the one who had killed the naga in a blink of an eye. Seifer shook his head as he grabbed the stuffed cloak and Hyperion. 

"I'm off. See you in a few." He turned to see his fox like friend spaced out, probably lost in a hunting daydream. Shaking his head yet again, Seifer sped off. The sun's fringes of red and gold tread across the sky as the hunter ran fast with the bundled up cat in his arms. It slept on, the poison would not make a course through its body too quickly, for it was not bitten… but Seifer did not want to take any chances. Shuddering at a jolting remembrance of the cat's intense stare, the hunter reached the entrance to Enba, finally. The cat stirred, weakly looking up at the hunter. "Be still and at peace, little beast… we're here." 

~~*~~ 

***~TO~BE~CONTINUED~***


	2. Cat, Kitty, Beastie: Squall

**Wild Rock**   
By Rarukuchan 

**_Why_**: Someone is still bored. That someone was me. Unfortunately OR Fortunately (you take your pick), this fic has latched onto my head like a rabid Squall kitty. It hurts, but it's a good pain… ^-^;; 

**_Where_**: The story takes place in an Alternate Universe where Seifer is a tribesman and hunter to his band of jungle living kinsmen. He wears a loincloth ^.^V. The village his tribe lives in is called 'Enba' and it borders the jungle, which is uncreatively named the 'Borderlands.' 

**_What_**: Seifer, the hunter of Enba, once had a mission. Only to be set off course by a creature he once hunted. Blahblahblah… blah. 

((You come up with your own summary. I'm too lazy. Pick your own scenario for the story below. Fill in the appropriate or inappropriate things in the brackets listed.)) 

Seifer, the [noun] of [place], once had a [noun]. Only to be [verb] by a [noun] named [insert name here]. 

**_Warnings_**: The author is a pervert and very spacey. She wants a Squall kitty. For the love of God, save the Squall kitties. Keep them away from the author. Thank you. 

For all other classifications of dangers, see chapter one. 

This was written under the influence of Classical and Baroque themes… with techno, rave set to it. Ah, Classical techno, where would I be without you? Also, I wrote this with Mozart's 'Confudatis Maledictis' or Requiem Mass in the background. Music Class is really getting to my head. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

"Nya…" 

"Sssshhh, do you want me to get caught!" 

The gates to Enba were open. Huts and tree bound homes littered a small patch of forest by the entrance. Hunters and guards leaned against the wooden gates chatting about what to get their girlfriends and lovers for the moon festival. The two moons of the forest were returning from their disappearance. Each month, the moons would flee from the skies, letting the stars guide the people on journeys and the like. Something about the springtime made the return of the moons ever-so special. 

Some of the hunters looked over at Seifer, smiling friendly at him. They approached him and soon after the whole group followed, throwing him almost random questions. The hunter tried to hide the bundle, a soft ear poked out. He pushed it back in the bundled up cloak before the others could notice and force him to show them. 

"Back late today, hm?" 

"How many beasts did you kill today?" 

"Have you decided what to get that special someone for the moon festival?" 

"What's that bundle you're hidin'?" 

Dammit. They noticed. He tried to dodge and shake his head, motioning to dried wounds and a few fresh ones. Some of the pestering hunters got the clue and left, others… were not so keen. 

"Yeah, what is it… oooh, it's a secret, right? It's okay, I won't tell…" 

"Hrrmmph, it's probably something extra nice for you to give to some hottie on the day of the Moon Festival. Dammit, why do you always score!?" 

"Because he's hot. You dummy." 

"Tell us what you caught, man! I wanna see the bundle." 

Seifer smiled apologetically, he was in a rush. Promising to answer their inquiries as soon as he came back from cleaning himself off. The group grumbled and pouted, but relented and let their idol go off. As soon as he left the entrance, Seifer snuck to the side to avoid the town's crowd that generally gather by the bonfire in the center of Enba. Word had got around that the Enba hunter had caught a queen-sized naga. The group merrily talked and talked around the fire; luckily for Seifer, they had barely noticed him drift away into the shade. 

He was safe. Two ears popped out from the small but tight opening of the bundled cloak. Following the two soft cat ears was the head. The cat looked rather dizzy, but still maintained a mean face. He was scowling at Seifer. How dare the man tie him in a cloak and carry him like a flour sack?! The hunter laughed softly, the expression on the cat's face was priceless. The beast was sick and suffering from poison, yet still had the energy to be pissed off. Risking getting bit again, Seifer ran his scratched and bitten had through the beast's soft, slightly tangled, auburn hair. It was very silky. If the beast didn't pull through, he'd make a wonderful pillowcase or pair of gloves. 

Squall hissed at Seifer, he didn't like the way the hunter was petting him. No one pet Squall. NO ONE. Wriggling in the tied cloak, the cat tried to claw at the Enba hunter. The man tightened his hold on the cat and tried to calm the little beast. 

"Rrrrr… Nyaaaooo…" the cat yowled loudly. 

"What is it you are holding there, Enba child." 

"…" SHIT, it's the chieftain of Enba, on one of his nightly strolls. Seifer did not wish to lie to their noble leader, so he hesitantly told the man the truth. "It is… a little beast. He was poisoned, elder. I did not wish to let him die; I will let him go in a few days. Let me tend to him, please. I…" 

"Need not explain, Enba child." The kindly old chieftain walked over to the Enba hunter and the struggling bundle in his arms. "You never need to put up a front nor explain anything to me, Seifer. It is indeed a danger for you to take a young one such as this. This one's old enough to wander, but still travels with a group. Beware that they may come for him sooner or later. Still… it is a kind deed you are doing, Seifer you have a large heart..." 

"Chieftain Kramer, you are too kind, far kinder than I." The cat snapped at Seifer's fingers. The chieftain smiled at the cat's anger. It did not like to be contained. These two would surely get along, that is if they don't kill each other first in the process. Kramer laughed at the interaction between the pair. 

"I will see that no one but myself knows of this little one's presence. The village would surely kill the creature. Take care, if you need any herbs or medicines come to my tent. Take care and rest." 

"Thank you, sir." And with that, they said good night and head off to their homes for the evening. 

"Rrr…" 

"Quiet you." he batted the cat's paws away. Did the little beastie manage to claw through his cloak? Great, he did, Seifer noticed the large gaping hole made by the cat's sharp claws. He frowned at the cat. Squall frowned right back, as if saying 'Hah, enclose me in a cloak! That's what you get.' 

~~*~~ 

"SQUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALL! SQUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALL!!" 

"Squall! Where are you?" 

"Dammit! Dammit! DAMMIT!" 

"Oh where could he be, Zell?" Ellone worriedly paced back and forth. For hours, they had searched the area Squall and Zell were last at. All that remained were dried spots of grass, crinkled by dried blood, big dried spots…as if a massive beast had died and lay there. The dried blood spots were big enough to be bled from a full-grown naga. She shuddered, had Squall been taken and killed by the men who did this? 

"I know where he is." The blonde cat grit out, looking down at the pebble-strewn floor. 

"Where Zell?" distraught, Zell moped and avoided her seeking eyes. 

"En..Enba. THAT man took him… Elle, I didn't do anything to stop him. Elle, I'm sorry." 

~~*~~ 

It was dawn. Rubbing his eyes, Seifer got up from his bed. Before setting off to a day of hunting and tending to that fanged creature, he needed to eat. His stomach rumbled in irritation. It wanted a meat and eggs breakfast. Yawning, Seifer walked out of his room and into his kitchen. He lifted a stick to shift aside a wooden plank that usually sealed the roofless area that was used as a simplified cooking vent. Then Seifer grabbed flint and coals to start a blaze in the fire bed that lay beneath an iron pot. The pot was suspended from the roof. It cooked quite a many good meals. 

Placing a grill atop the pot, Seifer began to stick some marinated bear boar flanks on it. Breakfast would be wonderful today. If only he could relax rather than work, maybe return to the trees to climb and reach the canopy. Alas, there were things to be done. The fields and crops behind his home needed tending to. All those days spent hunting had let given the plants time to grow and ripen. He scratched his back and mulled over possible activities and schedules for this week and the remainder of the day. Frowning, he remembered there were no eggs. The farmer's wife, Marina, needed the 2-dozen eggs he purchased from the merchants to bake a large cake for her twin sisters' birthday. This left his stomach unpleased. Just meat and no eggs for breakfast today. Either way, the tender slabs of meat would suffice. 

The meat would need time to cook; might as get ready and clean up. Yawning again, Seifer grabbed a washcloth and approached the water jug. He washed his face, brushed his teeth with a handful of minty herbs, and combed his hair. His bangs were getting long; he was looking a tad shaggy. It didn't affect his sexiness too much. The Enba hunter smirked. What would that shrewish girl think of him now? 

Enough stalling, he grumbled internally, it was time to go check on that furred annoyance. He re-enter his room. As he approached the large basket of bedding he set aside for the beast, Seifer thought about what to do with the cat. Were there any dried scraps of meat left in the clay jars in the corner? If so he would feed them to the little beast, it was nutritional enough. Besides, what do cats eat out in the wild? Bloody meat from a fresh kill or decaying slabs of flesh from scavenging was what their diet probably consisted of. The preserved meat Seifer was going to feed the cat would be a luxury to the damn beast. He needed to reheat last night's rice, mix in the meat scraps, and prepare herbs for the little beastie. Nudging the pile of blankets off the still lump in the basket, the Enba hunter was prepared to be snarled at. 

There was no snarling beastie though. The makeshift cat bed was empty. Where was that little beast? Did it escape last night and return to its pride? How could he not notice? Was the cat beast that stealthy? He was startled by a clanging noise that erupted from the kitchen. Running in, Seifer noticed the cat huddled in the corner, its back turned to him as it shook. Was it feverish or rabid? Reaching over to Hyperion, the man stalked over to the cat. It was purring… and it was eating his breakfast!! 

~~*~~ 

"Rrrr?" Squall looked up, the man was clearly enraged. The grill on the stove held meat that smelled so sweet and delicious. His tail swished back and forth with glee. It was the hunter's fault for not hiding his spoils properly. What was the man thinking? Not digging a hole, nor sticking it in a cave for safekeeping. The foolish hunter left his meal out in the open and heating it too. Squall had never eaten such a tasty meal… it was warm, which was odd to him for he never put meat by the fire, and spiced. Speckled bits of spices covered the meat, enhancing this delectable treat. Biting off more meat and chewing, Squall finally spoke. "Whatever… You're the idiot that left out your meal for the taking." 

The hunter's features darkened. 

"Don't you meow at me, beast!" Seifer hovered over the cat, trying to snatch back what was left of his breakfast. 

"…Whatever." Squall ran out of the kitchen and head to the entrance of the hunter's abode. Hyperion swung through the air, personifying Seifer's anger as he shook the grey blade at the running cat. Squall showed no fear. Let the man chase him. He did not care. Problem was, Squall did feel a little weak. The herbs the blonde man fed him helped him plenty, but it was not enough to restore him to his previous health. Already the cat felt winded. Before, Squall could run and run, not feeling the least bit exhausted. Sensing that the angry hunter was coming, the auburn cat ducked behind the bushes, laying still. Happily, Squall swallowed the remaining slab of meat. 

"That's what I get for taking in a monster like you. When you steal my food… you're messing with the wrong guy." Seifer growled. He hacked at a bush with Hyperion out of anger, just barely missing Squall. A pained yowl made he whisk around to face the auburn beast. 

"Almost hit me. Bastard." Squall's icy blue eyes got colder. Stupid man. 

"I save you, heal you, and what do you do?" he lifted Hyperion and shook it at Squall for emphasis. Seifer frowned, but then broke out into a laugh. "My breakfast… you eat and snatch my food. You're a clever beastie. How did you manage with a limp and poison affected body? Amazing…" 

He was still angry, but surely amused. The Enba hunter continued to laugh, kneeling to look into the eyes of Squall, setting aside Hyperion. The cat was indeed coy and clever. Squall's ears flattened, but made no attempt to break this close contact. A tentative hand leaned in the stroke the soft ears. 

"I thought I wanted to see you," Squall started. "but… _uuhnn…_ that feels nice… _purrrrrr…_ I better get back. You didn't kill Zell, I don't smell his blood on your hands… _mmmmm…_ _uuhh…_" 

"Are you trying to talk to me, cat? All you do is meow, yowl and hiss as if mimicking speech. And now you're purring… do you like that?" 

Squall continued to purr, nudging against the hands that pet him. 

"_Mm_. What do you think?" Squall glanced up, eyes flickering shut. It felt really nice. 

"There you go, meowing again." Seifer smirked. "Too bad I can't understand you, would I want to? Better get started on breakfast…" 

He trailed off, getting up to go back to his hut. A new breakfast was to be made, before the day could begin. Squall sighed, ears tingling from the previous petting. 

"I don't understand. Do you not hear me speak?" 

~~*~~ 

"Oooh! A butterfly!" 

"MY LIEGE! Now is NOT the time to play." A dark brown cat scowled at the other cat, his royal highness. The king paid his advisor no attention, but continued to play with the floating butterflies. Their wings glossed with a creamy blue. They giggled at the king's silliness. The dark brown cat was ready to blow a fuse. 

"Now, now Kiros… needn't be too harsh." Ellone smiled hesitantly. Her uncle, the king, was as hyper and playful as her sharp fanged friend, Zell. When dealing with both of them, patience was certainly a must. The dark brown cat named Kiros sighed. This was going to be a long and painful day. 

"Many pardons my liege, but your son is missing." 

"Weee!" 

"AHEM!" Kiros frowned disapprovingly. Most cats would fry under Kiros' stares and glares, but this particular cat beast would always remain unfazed. 

"Did you check the Temple of Ifrit or the Ruins of Seinegald… oh or better yet! Kasakoro lake. Squall loves it there." The king grinned, unaffected by Kiros' death glare. "Wouldya take a look at these fluttering beauties! The most prettiest blue wings I've ever seen~! Keep dancing girls." 

"Thank you King Laguna! We will dance all day." The butterflies giggled. One butterfly frowned and snapped at Laguna. 

"Girls… but I'm a GUY!" 

"Um…" King Laguna grinned sheepishly at the one male butterfly, before being tackled by an irate Kiros. "Ooof! Not now, sweetie… Elle's here, I mean…" 

"LAGUNA. YOUR SON IS MISSING!" Kiros grumbled, blush brightening his face. 

Ellone was giggling with the butterflies at her uncle and his mate. The king, Laguna, wasted no time in asking about the situation. Her solemn expression returned as Laguna began to question the whereabouts, what had happened, and the other details of Squall's disappearance. 

"Zell was with Squall when he was abducted by a man from Enba. We know that he is gone and not hiding in his usual haunts. If he were, Zell and I would have already found him." Ellone sadly relayed the events that followed the search for her beloved brother. "The man did not hurt Zell and let him go. If the hunter is that nice to let Zell go, then I could only hope and pray that he would spare Squall as well." 

"Wishful thinking, Ellone. The humans of Enba, like most humans, are cruel." Kiros shook his head; he feared this worst for his liege and lover's child. 

"I… I agree with Elle, Kiros. The man could have slaughtered them both. Squall was down and out from the naga's poison and Zell was spooked. The hunter, rumored to be the most powerful in Enba, could have easily… easily… taken them into the passing… killing both of them." Laguna shivered. He was fearful, but slightly hopeful. They had best find Squall before the hunter would change his mind about letting the cat live… that is, IF the cat were still alive. The king of the pride had lost his beloved wife to a pack of poachers; he did not wish to lose his present lover, daughter and son. 

The pride would need to send scouts to the borders of Enba to find Squall and bring him back quietly. There was no need to anger the men and women of Enba for no reason. Laguna did not wish to reenact the belligerent conflicts that had occurred between the creatures of the land and the humans of Enba years back, when he was a young adult. 

~~*~~ 

"Nyaaah. Rrrr? Nyaaaaaa…" 

"Will you quit nipping at my heels all day. I have to work. The crops need to be harvested, the weeds must be pulled at… are you rubbing against my leg?" Seifer looked down at the purring beast. It looked rather content. "I have no more meat, you ate it all." 

The rubbing and purring stopped; the hunter could have sworn the cat was pouting. Seifer smiled. 

"Rrrrrr…Fffft." 

"Tell you what, cat. Let me get my chores done and I'll make you something special and tasty, hm?" the hunter reached to pet Squall again. The cat leaned into the touch; eyes closed. It was warm… too warm. "Still feverish, better go cut up some herbs for you, cat." 

Squall looked faint, don't go… he tried to get up and follow the hunter. Collapsing, the auburn colored cat lay on the ground panting. Dammit, that season, his season was coming. Squall sighed, now was not a good time. Better go cool off, unless he wanted to scare that hunter silly with his… actions. 

~~*~~ 

"Oooh! Royal procession~!" 

"It's a week too early now is it?" 

"Hm, I think so. Still, it is wonderful to see the potential betrotheds of the Enba hunter." 

"HAH, potential?! One of them hates him, the other… tch, has no brain waves." 

"Shhh, the loverly ladies are arriving… Welcome~!" 

The people of Enba gathered at the gates of their humble settlement. It was indeed rather early for the fiancées of Seifer to arrive. Why were they here? 

"Hee hee! Why hello, dearest people. Your beloved Rinoa has arrived~!" one of the betrothed smiled cheekily. Some villagers smiled back, either fake grins or genuine greetings. Others looked away. The children knew better, they made gagging noises. "Needn't be ill, my presence is a cure-all. Be happy and healthy with the euphoria only I can bring~!" 

And with that, she waved her hand, fragrant pink blossoms showered upon the waiting people. 'Ooohs' and 'Aaahs' filled the air. Rinoa was pleased. They applauded the bit of magic she showcased. It was known that Rinoa may have been spacey and silly, but she was a quick learner and good apprentice to the chieftain's wife, a renown-traveling sorceress. The children that teased her each received a mock frown and click of disapproval. Rinoa rewarded them with candied blossoms, making the other villagers that stood by watching coo and speak of her kindness. 

"Where is the other betrothed?" 

"I know not of my… sister's location." Rinoa grumbled. The betrothed were sisters but not related by blood. Rinoa's family, the affluent Carraway family, had kindly taken in an orphaned girl. This girl was a tomboy as a child, always spoiling Rinoa's princess themed tea parties by crashing them as a soldier or a wild T-Rexuar. The petite black haired girl would not forget the trouble her 'sister' has caused her. It seemed the people of Enba adored her 'sister' as well. Ooooh, she hated competition. No one should be cuter than her~! 

~~*~~ 

"Ah, much better." Squall sighed, laying in the shallow edgewaters of the lake Kasakoro. It was brisk, cold… but lovely feeling to him. It was what he needed. Rising from the waters, droplets clinging to his soft wet fur, Squall crawled to the shade of a massive tree. "Time to nap." 

He yawned and shut his eyes. Only to open them again, pestered by an annoying splashing sound. Who would be using the lake now?! Now of all times… 

Long pale legs were kicking up waves of crystal blue water. It was reasonable to believe that kicking legs belonged to a body. Squall followed his gaze upward to see just who was distracting him from his nap. He froze on the spot. It was a human, a female at that. Thank Ifrit she was unaware of his presence, he could sneak away now. 

"I see you." she chimed. "Need not worry, little one. I hate fur with a passion; animals should keep it. Humans need it not. Especially those fur traders, how cruel." 

Squall rolled his eyes. 

"…Whatever." 

"Meow!" 

"What are you saying?" 

"Nyahnyah?" she inched closer to him. He shied away, thinking the worst of this crazy blonde. 

"…Whatever." 

The blonde woman smiled, reaching into her knapsack for a pair of sandals and a large rectangular mahogany box. Squall's nose twitched. Did he smell food? Eyeing the box she pulled from her bag, the auburn cat crept closer to the stranger. She untied the string that kept the box closed and then pulled off the lid. The item did hold food, exotic and wonderfully good smelling food at that. His tail whooshed happily. This woman maybe crazed and would 'meow,' whatever that meant, but she had food. The poison and his season left him ever-so hungry. 

"I was supposed to give this to that bulky mass of idiocy, but I'd rather give it to you." the tall blonde lady kneeled down, laying the large box in front of the cat. "Your company is far nicer and you aren't obnoxious as he is, the brute." 

"…Whatever." He pawed the box, snatching out pieces of egg and sweetmeats to eat. 

~~*~~ 

Till the soil, rake out the dead roots; make sure the plants get enough water. Not too much for it would rain for a week or so very soon. Seifer wiped his sweaty brow; he needed refreshment. He was about to reach for his icy cold water jug when… 

"SEIFERSEIFERSEIFERSEIFERSEIFERSEIFERSEIFER!!" 

"What is it Selphie," the man sighed, leaning against the large farming tool. "Calm down, it's too hot to jump around. You're making me sweat with all that twitching." 

"BATHE! CLEAN UP! DIRTYDIRTY! HURRYHURRYHURRY!" Selphie tried to push the man into action. He did not budge. 

"First I get distracted from my morning routine, then I ditch hunting to clear the fields… now this?! What is it! Tell me and make it quick; I've got work to do. And don't snoop around…" he didn't want her to find the cat. "I uh, set traps to kill these squirrel rats. The ones that steal explosives and bury them in your yard, damned beasties." 

Selphie loved all animals and frowned at the mention of traps and killing, but skipped over her usually volleys of animal rights and how animal cruelty. She had big news. 

"She's baaaaaaaack! GO GET READY! Look seksey, pal." 

"I always look sexy." Seifer grinned. "Who's back?" 

"That untamable and feral blonde vixen that dumped that vat of animal shi…" 

"WHAT?! SHE'S HERE?!" Seifer freaked. "So soon too." 

"Hee hee, she's the only girl I know who can haul ass on you." Selphie giggled evilly. "And she's baaaaack." 

"Where is she? I want to ambush her." The Enba hunter laughed deviously. That blonde shrew would surely pay for all the pranks she pulled on him. What a tomboy, a cute one at that. 

"Last I heard, your 'shrew' was at Kasakoro." Her hands were behind her back, twirling a bouquet of flowers. Smiling, Selphie shoved the bundle of wild flowers into his hands. "Go. She's allergic to these flowers… hee hee. Not deathly allergic, just horrendous rashes and spots will dash her perfect complexion." 

"Are you sure?" Seifer didn't look too trustful. 

"I asked Rinoa and you know Rinoa does not like Quistis at all." Behind her back, were her hands… and her fingers were crossed. He grinned and thanked his short perky friend. Seifer decided to place trust on Selphie's words, for indeed the petite raven-haired sorceress in training despised her tomboyish and intellectual sibling, Quistis. Selphie smirked at Seifer's back as he ran off to the lake Kasakoro by Enba. "Oooh, you are going to sooooo get clobbered by that girl." 

~~*~~ 

Squall rested in the shade with his newfound friend. As long as the food kept coming from her, the auburn cat would be content. Regardless of how she would 'meow' and purr at him. Was she trying to make a fool of herself, he wondered? 

"I should make an excuse and leave." The blonde murmured, reaching over to pet Squall. He grumbled but let her. She did feed him after all. "I do not want to see him. As I am sure he does not wish to see me." 

Hefting up the slightly heavy cat onto her lap, the blonde lady sighed. Squall panicked. Wow, she was quite strong to lift him up as if he were but a cub. His tail waved around, showing his discomfort. The lady did not notice, too lost in deep thought. 

"Rrrr… can you let me get off your lap. Now." The auburn cat growled. Looking down at the uncomfortable cat, the lady apologized. 

"Meowing at me again, little one? You sound a bit aggravated… still hungry?" 

"What is 'meowing'? And yes, I am aggravated. Let me get off of you." Squall frowned. She laughed. 

"A frown, is it a frown that I see?" 

"…Whatever." There was no escape. The hunter will search for him eventually, Squall hoped. 

~~*~~ 

Seifer rushed over to Kasakoro Lake. He could not wait to see Quistis break out into a rash and club him like a baby seal. He stopped dead in his tracks when he heard giggling and a 'meowing' sound. 

"Oh shit. I forgot all about the beast! How careless of me." Seifer muttered; hand slapped to his forehead. At his side was the bouquet of wild flowers. The Enba hunter hoped that whoever found the beast would not tell a soul. Sighing and preparing to convince the girl, or whoever giggled, to keep to silence, Seifer approached the lake's clearing. What he saw surely shocked him. He almost dropped the bundle of flowers. 

~~*~~ 

"Thank Ifrit…" Squall managed to get out of the laughing blonde's embrace. He ran over, tail swishing in greeting, to the man he was drawn to. The hunter was withdrawn, practically gawking at the pretty blonde lady that sat cross-legged beneath the willow trees. Gripping onto the bouquet on his side tighter, Seifer approached her. "Glad to see you, what's wrong with you? That lady is… strange… where are you… going?" 

"Is the cat yours?" the lady asked. Seifer did not speak. She waved her hands in front of his eyes. "Hellllloooo… I asked you a question, Seifer." 

"Do… Do I know you?" she ignored his question, for she deemed it inane, and glanced over at the flowers he held. 

"Oh, you didn't. How…" the blonde clapped her hands together. Truly surprised and pleased with the flowers. "How did you know I liked these flowers… these wild flowers? Who are you and where is the real Seifer Almasy?" 

"…oh no. No. You… you can't be… _her_. I mean… you're…" he knew where this was heading. Damn Selphie. Damn wild flowers. He should have never believed the perky little rat. Here he was, the revered Enba hunter, sweaty and smelly and gross and… there she was. The blonde was still fiery as ever but soft and beautiful this time around. The blonde beauty Quistis was always pretty in her own right, but now she held a goddess like quality, the confidence there from the beginning but a refined glowing aura was added to her. She was no longer a playful tomboy, but a playful lady. And here he was, dirtied up like old times in their rough and tumble childhood play fights. 

"What? I'm what? A gorgeous sex goddess come to life? Can it Seifer, I have heard it all. I do not wish to hear it from you. Now answer my question, is that adorable cat yours? Have you softened up? Hm?" 

Squall sat on the sidelines, growling intensely at Seifer and then Quistis. What to do, Seifer grumbled internally. The cat was sort of his, for the time being. 

"Quistis!" a cheery voice called, it was the rat that handed Seifer the flowers. "OH DEARY! A KITTY!"   
OH SHIT… Seifer slapped two hands to his forehead. Everyone would know of the beast's presence my nightfall if Selphie ran off to squeal. Squall tried to claw at Selphie as she launched herself at him. 

~~*~~ 

They had a small fire by Kasakoro going. It was just Quistis, Selphie, Seifer and Squall, or commonly refered to as **KITTY** or cat. 

"You have softened up." Quistis admired the balls of glowing light that wove around the blossom heavy trees and willows that swept against the lake. "I mean, you took in a poor wounded cat and healed him. Look at the cat now; he's… chewing on your loincloth. I think he's angry." 

"What a mastermind of deductive reasoning you are, Quistis." Seifer tried to pry the cat off of his clothes. It did look very angry. Probably because it was tethered to a near by tree. Quistis and Selphie did not want the poor animal tied to the tree on a rope, but Seifer insisted. The beast was sneaky, he said, and had to be kept close by. The trio talked and reminisced of their childhood together, glossing over sad parts. Seifer liked to talk of their pranks and silly times of their youth… but did not like to be reminded of what happened to him. True, the events that occurred then shaped him into the man he was now, but to remember the looks on his parents' vacant eyes and to see their deaths replayed was too much. Squall stopped trying to shred the loincloth. When the tugging stopped, Seifer leaned over to see what distracted the beast from the tearing. 

And he came in contact, once again, in a locked gaze with Squall's eyes. It was almost as if the cat had sensed the distress and pain Seifer felt from the memories. The cat's icy blue eyes were melting like polar ice caps flowing out in an expressive, understanding manner; offering solace of some sort. They were not empty, vacant, cold, nor dead like the eyes envisioned in the haunted memories. The hunter zoned out, leaving the world behind, only staring at Squall. What was that special something about this beast? 

"You okay, Seifer?" Selphie nudged the man. He jolted, stopping his intense eye contact with the beast cat. "Get some rest, okies. EEEEEEEEEK! IT'S LATE! I hafta go and pick up Irvine from the nursery, Quistis come visit us. You better, you meanie!!" 

And with that, the perky Selphie dashed off. 

"Nursery, Irvine.. all in one sentence? First you save woodland creatures, now Irvine has adopted motherly tendencies and is at a nursery? Where are the four horsemen, the apocalypse?" Quistis grinned, waving a bit of string at a bored Squall. He looked a little dejected, but since when do cats act that way? 

"Selphie sent him there, she's hoping to have a few children soon. Wants him to be a good dad." 

"The chief has allowed those two to reproduce?" she laughed, making Seifer laugh too. The moons were still not in the sky, but the stars were. A wave glittering stars littered the sky like a net of diamonds. It was hard to resist, it was hard to stay away, but Quistis managed not to ruin the moment and hurl the Enba hunter into Kasakoro Lake. Squall gnawed on the rope. "Watch the cat, I hope to see him again, I must be off. The royal guards are surely worried by now." 

"Oh, you'll see the flea-ridden beast but not me?" 

"As far as I'm concerned, Seifer, YOU are the flea-ridden beast. I bid thee adieu…" she shyly looked back at him while walking away. "Although, I must admit it was nice to see you again." 

"Spare me." Squall rolled his eyes. The hot feeling was returning again. He felt faint. 

"He's mewing again, probably hungry. Go feed him," Quistis said turning to the Enba hunter. "See you sometime soon." 

Quistis left the area, leaving the cat and man alone. The hunter untied the rope from the tree, but still kept the cat on the leash. He did not want to risk letting the cat run off. What a day, his breakfast gets stolen and then he sees his tomboyish friend all grown up. Squall padded alongside the hunter, strangely obedient. Falling by Seifer's feet, Squall's eyes were closing and his body felt hot and rather heavy. 

"Hang on, beast." 

~~*~~ 

"_Mmm_… where am I?" he sat up. Blankets were strewn all over. The scent was of sandalwood and musk… it was the hunter's bed. "_Uuuuhnn_… damn… _mmm…_ season. I… _oooh…_ hate being in heat." 

Squall could not help but purr. The bedding held onto the man's smell so nicely. Rolling around it, the cat purred again and again in pure bliss. Never had he felt his hot before. Where was the man? Clanging and clacking noises came from the kitchen. Was the man there? Climbing out of the warm nest of soft sheets and leafs, Squall wandered to the rooms close by. Finding that the noise did come from the kitchen. Ah, there he was… the hunter was in the kitchen. Squall's ears perked up. 

"Hm? You're up I see. I gave you some herbs for the poison that still stayed in your system. I'm surprised you made it through the whole day, yesterday, with all the commotion and chasing. After I feed you, I'll give you one more dosage and you'll be set. Why in the world am I talking to you like a person?! What is wrong with me… tch." 

"You talk to me because I understand you… now if only you could understand me." Squall frowned. 

"It's, I hate to use the word but… It's so cute how you meow and almost talk back to me each time I speak." Seifer bent down to stroke Squall's soft ears. They were his favorite part of the auburn cat. The ears were silky and floppy, yet stood upward. 

The pot bubbled, drawing Seifer's attention away from the cat. If only he had looked, he would have seen the deep blush that darkened Squall's face. That was not fever borne blush… it was something else. 

~~*~~ 

***~TO~BE~CONTINUED~***   



	3. Wishing to stay: Departure

**Wild Rock**   
By Rarukuchan 

**_Why_**: Boredom does weird things to people's heads. I am no exception to that weirdness. Not that I'm bored at all. Instead I'm very surprised with the reactions I've been getting from this fic. Boredom created this fic… as a result I must stay bored, must stay weird, must write more… while I still can. 

**_Where_**: The story takes place in an Alternate Universe where Seifer is a tribesman and hunter to his band of jungle living kinsmen. He wears a loincloth ^.^V. The village his tribe lives in is called 'Enba' and it borders the jungle, which is uncreatively named the 'Borderlands.' 

**_What_**: Seifer, the hunter of Enba, once had a mission. Only to be set off course by a creature he once hunted. Lah-dee-dah. Weee! 

((Have you come up with your own summary yet? Cause I haven't come up with a decent one so far. Remember that fill in the blank statement in chapter two? Well here's what I filled in based on the things my friends said. Madlibs are fun… especially with Seifer as the topic of discussion.)) 

_The madlib_: Seifer, the [noun] of [place], once had a [noun]. Only to be [verb] by a [noun] named [insert name here]. 

_A result_: Seifer, the [kitten] of [Japan], once had a [toaster]. Only to be [eaten] by a [slime] named [Julie]. – from _Jason the Kitty_

**_Author says_**: what's with me/Julie and eating Seifer?**>**

Other results of the madlib will be posted at the end… 

**_Warnings_**: The author is a cat lover AND still a pervert. Naked Squall kitty in heat is… shhhhweet. Heh heh… who wouldn't want to see a Squall kitty in heat with a Seifer… MUAHAHAHAHAH~! 

For all other classifications of dangers, see chapter one. 

This chapter was written under the influence of techno remixes of 'Eyes of Me,' 'Suteki da ne,' and 'Fly me to the Moon.' Decent remixes, but hell… they kept me working. Oh and the Mass Requiem by Mozart totally powered the battle-esqued scene in this chapter ^-^V. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

It was hot. Very hot and sticky, after all this was a jungle. Seifer shifted around uncomfortably on his bed, kicking off the sheets. The sheer white sheets balled up and fell onto the floor. His eyes fluttered, he was still asleep. Squall looked over at the bundle of sheets; the musky scent of Seifer drifting over, tickling his senses like mad. The cat could not sleep. His mating season was beating him relentlessly as he watched the hunter sleep rather peacefully under the jungle's drenching heat. Curling up in the basket the blonde man had set aside for him as a bed, Squall sighed.   


It was apparent that the few people of Enba he had interacted with did not understand what he had to say. They would 'meow' at Squall and tell him to stop 'meowing.' What did 'meow' mean? Squall grumbled; he understood them perfectly. His tail thumped against the side of the wicker basket. The sun was going to rise soon. Seifer would get up, clean up, and prepare breakfast. Soon after, the hunter would get ready to either hunt or take care of his plots of land in the back. The auburn cat hoped the man would go hunting; it would give him a chance to get out and perhaps escape. It would be foolish and suicidal to run through Enba and even think of reaching the jungle without being noticed. Guards were posted around, with nightly rounds, and clusters of them were found at the 4 gates of Enba, each facing a different direction. If Squall were to escape, it would be best to leave from the eastern exit of Enba. For that gate was closest to Kasakoro Lake and the jungle. It was said each of the men and women guards of Enba were given instructions to capture the younger beasts and kill off the older ones. Rumors were rarely confirmed in the jungle kingdom, because survivors never made it back to their homes, alive or dead. 

Squall shivered. He was in heat and a bit anxious. Elle and his father would try to stay rational, but Zell would probably be having a seizure by now. The younger blonde cat looked up to the auburn cat and tried his damned hardest to be friends with his 'hero.' Squall actually missed both his father and Zell… the two loudest, chipper and perhaps most annoying kinsmen he knew. Yet he cared for them and look where he was now? Poor Elle. He missed his stepsister very much. The basket bed he curled up in felt colder and colder as he thought more and more of his home. 

Why did the hunter spare him? Squall growled at himself, he asked too many questions this early in the morning. Best get some rest to tag along with the hunter if he goes out. Speaking of the man, Squall got up from the basket and padded over to the bedding. The hunter was shivering a bit. The jungle air was misty and had cooled down a bit from the humidity and heat that lingered before. Grabbing the bundle of sheets with his teeth, Squall lightly jumped onto the bed, making it shake a little. He tried not to wake the man. The cat kept his teeth on the sheets as he whipped them into the air and over Seifer's body. That would do the hunter some good by warming him up. Squall felt drowsy and his body felt heavy. The smell of the sheets were seducing him, luring him to lie down for a bit beside the man who captured him in more ways than one. 

Not a bad idea, Squall thought to himself, just close your eyes and rest for just a moment. 

~~*~~ 

It was a bit cooler than when he first tried to drift off to sleep. Hence, a good prediction of the weather in the near future would be a rainy period that would most likely be cool and windy. Better get ready to warn the Enba people to bar down their homes and secure whatever young crops they still had out in the fields. It would not be that dangerous, as the typhoon that had hit many months back, but one must always take safety precautions. Seifer mulled over all of this with his eyes closed. Though it was a bit chilly, despite the land and climate being that of a tropical jungle, it was strangely warm. Well, more like there was a strange heat emitting body lying beside him. The hunter blushed. Who could it be? Should he lean over? Last year, it was not a rare occurrence to have young virgins, male and female, barge in drunk on the heat during the night. 

His mind laughed at him, could it be Quistis? What would he say? Screw it, he muttered, turning over to see who crawled into his bed _this_ time. Without even taking a second to think, Seifer ripped off the sheets that covered the hot body next to him. 

~~*~~ 

"Hmm? Rrr…" Squall lazily looked up. Why would Seifer come check the basket first? Or had Squall slept through the man's morning routine? Did he miss breakfast? How could he oversleep? The cat pouted. He hated missing breakfast, especially when Enba food was so exotic and tasty. He yawned and stretched his paws out. The man was still looking at him. "What?" 

"Why are you in my bed?" 

"…." The cat was speechless. His steel blue eyes were wide, trying to recall the previous night's sleepy events. The bed, why was he in Seifer's bed? 

This was certainly awkward. Squall panicked, eyes darting around. Last night, he could not sleep. Last night, he saw the shivering hunter. Last night, he went over to the man's bed and tucked him in… and stayed on the bed. And slept beside the man. Squall wanted to run and dig a whole big enough to bury himself in. How foolish! How silly! How mad this cat must be! He blushed again, sitting up straight in the bed. Seifer noticed, his hand reaching over to tousle Squall's auburn soft locks. 

"Shit, your fever is acting up again. Stay kitty… I'll go get some medicine." The man dashed out of bed and to the kitchen. 

"It… it's not the fever." Squall called out, but then blushed deeper. "He called me kitty? Not beast, not cat… but kitty? Oh, how… how…" 

Squall fell back down onto the bed, burrowing into the sheets. Rubbing against them and moaning, hoping the hunter was too preoccupied to hear him. 

~~*~~ 

This cat is starting to really grab onto me, Seifer muttered internally. He added some herbs and floral extractives to an ivory mortar for the cat's medicine. Frustrated with his recent acknowledgement of his growing adoration for the cat, Seifer ground the mixture roughly with a pestle that came with the vessel. He was hunter, the village's most renowned and revered hunter, known as the Enba hunter. It was a title that was not lightly given. He killed all animals that harmed the village's growth; he killed all the animals that helped the village's growth. Seifer did whatever he could to help the villagers, the kindly people of Enba. 

Today would be the last day he would keep the cat here. The beast had to go, regardless of the bond and master-pet relationship that had been growing between them. Seifer's anger had ground the herbs and roots into a fine green brown mixture of medicine. He scooped out the mixture into a small clay bowl. Sighing, Seifer grabbed a clay dish and dumped a ball of sticky jasmine rice onto it. He mixed together the rice and medicine with some sugarcane seasoned egg and chicken from last night. The cat may not enjoy it as much as the food he stole days ago, but this meal would have to suffice. 

With the plate in hand, Seifer returned to his room to see the cat rolling in his sheets, eyes half-lidded with a raw emotion and feeling concealed in them. The cat was purring uncontrollably and mewing softly, lifting his body to rub roughly against the silky sheets the hunter had previously lain in. Seifer almost dropped the dish of food. A pained and loud yowl was released from the cat; it fell to the leafy bedding panting for breath. Poor thing, Seifer looked down at the straw strewn ground, it was hurting that much from its fever. Was naga poison that potent in the cat beast population? 

~~*~~ 

Squall curled into a ball. Way to go, getting all hot and bothered on your captor-savior's bed. The spot he lay in was wet and sticky. What to do? He couldn't lick it clean. Not only that, he was sweaty too. This season was the worst by far. Usually being in heat did not bother Squall. It was natural; there was no way to fight it. The mating season had Squall running for and behind the hills. He could not be bothered with rutting male or females. His whole pride had him disinterested in mating and reproducing. None of the pride had him _this_ bothered or _this_ hot. None of them could even replicate a fraction of what this human, this hunter made him feel. 

This has got to stop. He cannot do this to his people, his clan. Beasts of the jungle and humans had no bond, nor relationship. As much as Squall had come to adore this man, he could not stay here. The moment the man let him outside of Enba, Squall would have to run as fast and as far, beyond the Kasakoro, back to his home. 

~~*~~ 

The man set the food down onto the bed, noticing the cat was balled up and tense. Disregarding the possible snarls, growls, and hisses that could be thrown at him, Seifer leaned over to pet the suffering creature. Had the fever brought him down that badly? The hunter stroked the fur with feather soft touches, drawing the cat out from is curled up position. It heatedly purred, allowing the man to stroke it so. Its ears perked up and its tail batted around. It felt happy; at least that is what Seifer inferred. Shyly, Squall looked up at the hunter. He stretched out his arms, leaving his tight kneeling position, but not straying far from the white wet spot. 

"Eh? What is that…?" The spot Squall sought so hard to hide caught Seifer's attention. "Great, cat sweat. This fever is really draining you huh? Well, fear not cat, I brought some food and medicine. Eat up while I get ready." 

He misunderstood. Squall let out a deep sigh. The man was oblivious to what the substance was and still assumed the heated blushing and writhing was fever induced. 

"You are dense… whatever. And now you're calling me 'cat' not 'kitty.'" Squall puffed out, looking with distaste at the food in front of him. This would be his last meal here, might as well attempt to enjoy it. Squall was acting spoiled, he berated himself. In the wild the meat was bloody, fresh, and not cooked. He should stop being picky. Edging over to the clay dish, Squall sniffed the meal, recognizing the chicken meat and eggs from last night. So breakfast was leftovers, it would still be delicious, especially since it was tenderized and cooked by the hunter's hands. 

~~*~~ 

Hyperion was in its case, strapped to the hunter's back. Seifer tossed a water canteen and some non-perishable foods into his bag. He was planning on being out for a while, in hopes of hunting a few bear boars and toro birds. And Seifer was hoping to get the cat beast as far away from Enba as he could. The cat laid outside, in the hunter's line of sight, watching butterflies hover in the air. Squall looked forlorn yet attentive, as if he were listening to the fluttering winged beauties above his head. The golden sunlight glittered their gossamer blue wings with a sparkling tint. What lovely butterflies these were. Seifer shrugged, sticking a prepared lunch into his knapsack. He still had to figure out a way to get the cat out of Enba unseen. 

~~*~~ 

"There you are, prince Squall. Your father and sister are very worried." One of the butterflies landed on the tip of Squall's ear, tickling him. 

"Oh, but not only the king and princess are worried… the whole clan is riled and shaken with fears on how their prince is fairing." Another butterfly swirled around in the air before landing on Squall's nose. He sneezed, "HEY! That wasn't very nice you, sneezing at me." 

"…whatever." Squall flicked his ears, brushing the reclining butterfly off of it. 

"We must head back to the pride at once to announce such fortuitous news. We are the only ones that know prince Squall is unharmed and safe!" the butterfly that rested on Squall's ears boomed out, as loud as a butterfly could speak. 

"Unharmed and safe is practically the same thing, silly." A few of the butterflies giggled at the loud butterfly. Squall's tail flitted back and forth; he looked down at his paws. It was good that they, the zealous blue butterflies, would tell his family and kingdom he was safe… but still, it saddened him to leave. Angry at such thoughts, the auburn cat shook his head. He had to be resolute; leaving and never seeing Seifer would be the best thing for both of them. After all, Seifer was the deadly Enba hunter. The blue winged messengers awaited the prince's commands to fly off. 

"Leave me and head back to my father. Tell him, I will try to return today. The hunter has been most hospitable and there is no need for any reinforcements. Thank you, now be on your way." Squall told the silky blue butterflies. Their giggles and chatter stopped immediately, they had a mission to accomplish, a message to be sent. Without another word, the butterflies sped off leaving the pensive auburn furred cat. 

~~*~~ 

Weapons on his back and bag there too; Seifer was ready for hunting today. Breakfast was uneventful. The cat stayed away from the sizzling slices of meat and the sunny side up chocobo eggs on the griddle. It was a shame, on the last day of them being together, the hunter hoped the cat would wreak all out havoc. Instead, it took what was given to it as a meal and then laid in the sun to sulk. That is, if the assumption is made that cats could sulk. 

"Psst, c'mon. Don't act all pissy, cat. I'm taking you back to the Borderlands today, you know… your home?" Seifer bent down to the cat's level. It avoided him, turning its whole body away from the talking man. "Hmmm? Are you unhappy that I didn't save you any of the steak I cooked this morning? You brat." 

"…….." Squall continued to ignore the hunter. 

"How did you survive in the jungle without a well-prepared and nicely seasoned meal? I must be spoiling you rotten, cat." 

"No need to converse. Just take me to the forest," Squall muttered, still refusing to look at the blonde man. "I want to get this over with." 

Seifer laid a wrapped bundle at Squall's feet. A sweet aroma drifted from the loosely wrapped package. It was a familiar smell. Curious, Squall pawed the wrapping open revealing large pieces of the meat he had stolen from Seifer's grill the first morning he was at the hunter's home. It was the marinated bear boar meat the hunter had placed atop his kitchen pot to enjoy for breakfast… only to have it stolen by the feisty cat, Squall. His first thought was to cry and never leave the man. The tall blonde was a killer, a hunter and yet, he was thoughtful, warm and tender. How could that be? Squall couldn't resist. Before wolfing down the meat that lay before him, Squall looked at the man who knelt next to him. The hunter was grinning; they were sharing a moment they had together. 

"Remember this meat you stole? I didn't even hear you sneak in and take it. Never suspected it at all. Clever little beastie, that's what you are. Go on… eat it, I made it just for you." Seifer was about to get up, but then… Squall leaned in closer, nuzzling Seifer's cheek. Purring loudly, Squall closed his eyes, shutting out the emotions that shone in his eyes. The hunter made no move to get up from his position on the floor. Giving into nagging desires, Squall opened his eyes right before he licked the hunter's cheek gently, relishing in the saline sweet taste that lingered there. Pushing down the hot urges to jump the man, Squall purred and settled for another nuzzle against the hunter. Seifer did not move nor speak. He was numbed yet warmed at the same time. 

"Awwwwwwwww…" a squeal came from behind the pair. 

"HOLY SHIT! A BORDERLAND CAT!!" great, the squeaky rat Selphie and her cheesy husband to be had arrived to ruin the moment. Well, it was bound to be broken anyway. "Did that beast just bite you? Give me the signal and I'll send a shaft through it's…" 

"Don't you dare!" Seifer snapped, bringing the cat closer. "That is…urr… um. Well, I… I need to bring it back. It's too young to kill… want to get in trouble with the council of the hunt, Irvine?" 

The fox haired sniper looked doubtful and dubious but said nothing when his beloved, Selphie, shot him a life-threatening glare. The cat looked saddened by the lack of intimate contact, but seemed to be content with the close proximity to the hunter. Seifer let go of Squall, the cat settled down to graciously wolf down both slabs of cooked bear boar meat. Meanwhile, the three humans talked about the day's events. 

"Quistis is stuck at a boring diplomatic sorta meal with the leaders of near by tribes. Chieftain Kramer is there too. I think Rinoa got out of the party in favor of her sorceress studies. That means you won't be seeing your blonde beauty until after sunset. Which is perfect because you don't come back from hunting until then anyway, Seifer~!" the perky girl tugged on the hunter's arm making him rise from the ground. Squall ignored the gawking sniper. The man had never seen a live cat beast before. Irvine was drooling; the fur was gorgeous and looked ever so soft. He wanted to rub himself all over the cat beast… well, not in a perverted sense. Grumbling and smacking himself, the sniper tried his best to look away from Squall and his shiny priceless coat. 

"Greaaaat. Another evil ploy of yours. This time I might just go along with it… that is if I come back from hunting on time. After all Irvine and you are already taking away from my time." The hunter pointed at the sun, it was almost noon. 

"Oh bother, bring a torch with you, you silly unresourceful man." Selphie grunted, attempting to push the hunter. Irvine was still trying not to leer at the cat. Squall felt really uncomfortable now. 

"Fine fine, if you don't see me back by sunset to court the loverly Quistis, you may skin me alive and use my pelt as a throw rug." 

"Tch, like I'd want you as a throw rug." Irvine rolled his eyes. Selphie had her turn at baiting the cat. Squall did not like this couple at all. One was staring at him with much interest; the other enjoyed tackling him and giggling. Noting the cat's distress, Seifer came to his rescue. 

"I'm off, hunting must be done for today. And I'm taking the cat with me too." Seifer could have honestly sworn he saw the cat sigh with relief from being saved. 

"Kitty!! **KITTY**! Not cat." Selphie yelled, as if that were Squall's name. Squall wrinkled his nose at such a horrid sounding name. 

"Let's let Seifer go, we've kept him long enough. Now, how do you expect to get that…" Selphie glared at Irvine. "Kitty, there I said it Selphie, happy? How will you get the kitty out of here?" 

Looking at the torn cloak in the corner, the one that brought Squall into Enba, Seifer shrugged. 

"I know! Let Irvine and me distract the people! Buuuut… you gotta promise to bring the kitty back. Quistis adores him, that's the only way to properly court her, got it? Hee hee." The girl did a dance. Squall blanched. The whole point of leaving with the hunter was to not be in Enba from this day forth. And now that bouncy idiot was insisting of keeping Squall here to get Seifer his mate? Nope, that's not happening. Squall was going to leave for good; nothing would stop him from leaving. 

"Distractions?" the blonde looked a bit scared. "From only you two I hope?" 

"Heh heh heh…" Selphie made no attempt to explain her devious plans. 

~~*~~ 

The midnight haired sorceress had a wide smile on her pretty face. That foolish couple had unwittingly given her a major clue on how to win the handsome hunter's heart. The gorgeous Enba hunter was as good as her's. She could do a victory dance, but that would totally spoil the ultimately cool and beautiful image she had built of herself. Rinoa felt that she was the epitome of beauty, grace, and magical wonder. The sorceress believed she had it all and soon would have more than that. For when the Enba hunter took her as his wife, her life would be complete. 

Rinoa couldn't help the giggle that escaped her mouth. She had to contain the joyous laughter. Save it for after the proposal announcement. That Seifer was as going to be her man. The people around her looked at her. Why was she laughing? Nothing funny was going on. Shrugging, the men and women of Enba continued with what they were doing. That sorceress was a skilled one, but always a bit weird and crazy… especially boy crazy. 

"Ah! 'Tis noon. What a spectacle~! Oh dearest townspeople, do you wish to see the dusky reds to dark amethysts of twilight arise?" Rinoa called out, raising her hands theatrically. They people that did listen to her, looked very baffled. 

"What did she just say?" 

"I have no clue, man." 

"My head hurts. That girl has got to keep her trap shut." 

"…" Screw the diplomacy; Rinoa was ready to throttle a few people. The couple, Irvine and Selphie, had talked aloud of how Seifer loved the night, especially sunset to twilight. Along with that, the man so adored fireworks, but no merchants had any until the fire festival seasons in the hottest season of all, summer. The people of Enba loved the season and the sparkling lights as well. Why not get two birds with one stone? Or in Rinoa's case… one big booming fire magic lights display with a darkening spell thrown in to create a night like backdrop around Enba. Not only would she be pleasing the man she sought after, she would be making his people very happy. Rinoa was giddy at the prospect of earning a happy smile from the handsome blonde man. That thought blew her anger out of the water, she felt so light with giddiness. 

"The girl has gone glassy eyed on us." 

"If she tips over, just stand her back up again okay?" 

"Ahem, what wish to do is make it dark enough to shoot out sparkling fire, similar to fire works, as a show for you wonderful people~!" Rinoa looked a tad bit vapid, floating from the love vibes she was oozing. 

"Ooooh!! Really?! Damn cool!" 

"This girl has totally risen in her ranks of coolness." 

"Yaaaaay! Fireworksfireworksfireworksfireworks!!" 

"Children, calm down. Chores must be done first…" 

"Heh! How can children do chores in the dark~?" Rinoa scoffed in a joking manner. Snapping her fingers, long transparent twisted sheets flew from the palms of her hands. They were wispy and long like smoke trailing from a dying fire. The velvety opaque sheets were dark as the night sky. They soared around her like black hawks before flying upward towards the sun. It was high noon; the sun was at its peak. The sheets Rinoa had summoned soared higher and higher, with each height it increased the sheets became more massive, large enough to cover all of Enba. And indeed, the sheets did cover Enba, darkening from opaque dark iris to an even deeper and richer color of purple. The sheets had become the night sky, losing their edges and frays. The people of Enba had stopped what they were doing and all were silent. 

The couple that had spoken loud enough to attract Rinoa's attention smiled at each other. Their plan had worked. Irvine doubted that it would, while Selphie knew the young sorceress would do anything to flaunt her powers AND gain the attentions of Seifer. 

"Hee hee hee. Let's hope Seifer used this time to get out of Enba with kitty~!" 

"I still can't believe this plan worked. Is that sorceress really that dense?" Irvine wrapped his arms around his betrothed. Magic or not, this fake night sky was a little creepy. Selphie silenced Irvine with a kiss on the cheek. 

"Shush, dearest… it worked, now all we gotta do is sit, relax and enjoy this wondrous show Rinoa will put on for us~!" Selphie held onto Irvine's arms. He blushed, rubbing against the top of Selphie's head. She could be so cute. 

Rinoa had brought the night forth, now time for the fireworks. She cheered internally for she had won Seifer and Quistis had not a chance at all~! Raising both arms, she summoned forth a blaze that was worthy of a phoenix. 

~~*~~ 

Squall jumped. The ground shook. Someone was casting heavy-duty magic. Where was the sunlight? Was it not noontime? How did it get this dark so quickly? Seifer was grumbling something about a 'Rinoa.' Whatever that was. As soon as darkness covered the whole area, a huge burst of light rose above the houses and trees of Enba. The ball of light cracked like a burst egg as soon as it reached above the village. Sparks of light came from the shattered bits of colored light, looking as if a firebird had hatched and risen from the sparkling ball. What a way to be sent off. The man cooked him something special, he licked and nuzzled the said man, and now… a light show worthy of the gods was being shown. 

Rushing off to follow the man, Squall bounded forward. A few more feet and he would be out of Enba. The darkness that fringed on the edge of Enba's eastern gate billowed like a silky black curtain, dispelling the illusion of nightfall. Once the man and cat ran through the curtains of darkness, they would be outside of Enba and closest to Kasakoro. 

"Almost there, cat." Seifer tore through the opening and into the light. Besides the darkness that had descended over Enba, the remainder of the land was covered in sunlight. 

~~*~~ 

"Sssssssilence, be sssssssssstill. He isssssss coming." 

"He killed my ssssssssister… the foul being." 

"Vengeance ssssssssssssshall be yourssssssss, noble sssssssssire. It ssssssssssshall." 

~~*~~ 

His back straightened up, as did his fur. It stood up on end. As Seifer ran through the darkness and the eastern gates of Enba, Squall slackened his pace as he followed the hunter. He was glad he did. If he had not, the cat would have never sensed the cold, almost reptilian vibes that filled the air. It was the aura of the naga clan. The nagas had come far too close to Enba. Thank goodness they feared flames, the same flames that lit up the magically darkened skies of the village. The people would be safe for now. 

Squall snarled; the hunter he held dear was in danger if the nagas were indeed outside of Enba. Seifer had killed a queen-sized naga, which merited a death sentence from the naga clan. They would spare the man no pain; nothing for the sin he had committed against them. Bracing himself, Squall dove through the darkness into the streaming light. Even if they would be outnumbered, the least the cat could do was die for the man he cared for. 

~~*~~ 

Right after he left Enba, Seifer felt off balance. It wasn't Rinoa's magic that made him feel uncomfortable; it was something else. He quickly unsheathed Hyperion. If there was a disturbance, he had to defend Enba to the death. The hunter took his usual stance, preparing to kill those who threatened his home. The bushes rustled and then… 

"NYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!! Meeeeow~!" it was that blonde cat with the black tribal etching under one of his eyes. Seifer let his taut body loosen a bit, for one of the unseen offenders had shown themselves… but this blonde hyper cat had not alleviated the pit of dread that was forming in hunter's stomach. He had a gut feeling something truly vicious was hiding from him, waiting for the right moment to strike. 

As Seifer stood waiting, the blonde cat ran to his auburn friend, Squall. The hyper cat's tail was flailing about crazily, expressing so much excitement and fervor. Zell was meowing loudly in an admonishing tone. Squall wasn't paying much attention to his blonde, skittish friend. The auburn cat was cautiously surveying the area. A blue butterfly was zooming towards the pair of cats, out of breath. Even before it could alert the two, Zell was pulled off quickly by something long and scaly. 

Squall growled; the hunter saw the long scaly body and knew nagas had come for him. 

~~*~~ 

"SQUAAAAAAAAAAAAALL!! HELP!" Zell howled. He was dangling in the air at the end of a naga's tail. They were snickering at him. The hunter was wasting no time, hacking at the nagas that slithered too close to Enba. Squall stood faithfully by the man's side, clawing with rage at the tails and fanged heads that dared to draw closer. Hearing his friend's distressed call, the cat sighed. Squall wondered what he should do? Save his friend or defend the hunter? Before he could dwell further on it, another naga lunged at the hunter. Wasting no time, Squall jumped up to gauge whatever part of the naga's head he could. 

Zell called out again. Squall was not coming... 

A black forked tongue tickled Zell's cheek; angrily the blonde cat batted it away. Squall would come… he would!! 

"Your friend will not ssssssssssave you. He isssssssssss too enamored with the man. Bessssssssssssides, beasssssssssst. I promissssssssssssse not to eat you thisssssssssssss time. We are here to kill the man, the Enba hunter." The massive snake spat his mentioning of the man who killed his sister with ease. She was to be married to his best friend and now where was she? Probably on the backs of selfish humans as a coat or hung on their arms as an accessory. The Enbas would pay for their insolence and rampant killings for pleasure and avarice. 

The hyper blonde cat was quiet, digesting what he heard. Was Squall in love… with a man? 

~~*~~ 

Two silver backed snakes surrounded the man; one had a large laceration on its neck. Nagas with silver backs were not poisonous but they had compact muscles that had a most deadly grip and squeeze. As long as the hunter avoided the coils, he would be fine. The nagas with black markings, the ones that spat poison, were already dead, their emerald bodies strewn all over. Seifer felt that he needn't worry too much, but a hunter should never let his guard down. He noticed the blonde cat was taken by the nagas, but where to? No time to worry about that, face forward… hack and slash, a few snakes remain. 

Yet… where was the auburn cat? 

~~*~~ 

"Zell!!" Squall ran to the heir of the naga clan, a proud and tall snake with golden scales. His sister, the poisonous one Seifer had killed days ago was huge… but her brother was by far the biggest naga the auburn furred cat had seen yet. He was at least 2 of his sister combined. Squall hated to admit it, but he was scared. "Let him go." 

His voice was shaky and Zell refused to look at him. 

"What if I don't want to go with a man lover like you! I can't believe you…" 

Squall shook violently at those words. What did the naga know? What did the naga say to Zell?! 

"Zell, snakes aren't the most truthful ones of the jungle. You know that…" 

"Judgmental are you not, prince Ssssssssssquall." The golden snake tilted his head, his pale eyes glimmering with unspoken mischief and malice. 

"Hmmph, true nagas are mostly liars… but…bu…but why are you defending that man? This naga lifted me up high enough with his tail so I could see you… watch you as you fought beside this man, this hunter…" 

"I… Zell, I…" Squall didn't know what to say. The truth wasn't coming; it wasn't spilling forth. The truth was ugly, it was to be hidden and shoved down never to be seen like all unwanted desires. He was never to fall in love with a human, a man no less. "Zell…" 

"Don't say anything, I don't want to hear it! Just shut up!!" Zell snarled, but soon after he regretted it. Squall was his hero, he may be disappointed, but the cat was still his friend since childhood. The auburn cat stood by the naga, looking up sadly at his friend hung high in the air. 

"I know you told me not to say anything, but that won't stop me from apologizing…" 

"Ssssssssssssave it, princely little Ssssssssssquall. Firsssssssssssst ssssssssssssssssee your hunter die!" the naga gleefully screeched. Squall whipped around and there was Seifer killing another naga. He did not look dead, nor near death… but wait… behind him were the remains of nagas. Some were still and most were not moving… but a few… the two silver backed ones, the easiest to cut apart but the hardest to kill due to their volatile muscles, had their remains still aching with pained movement. Those two… were still alive, or at least parts of them were. Run, Seifer… hurry and flee from the clearing. 

~~*~~ 

Only one more naga left to kill, a monolith golden one with a cobra like head. This one was certainly king-sized or two times that amount. Seifer smirked; it was a challenge… one he had longed for since the animals he killed lost their dangerous edge. Eating an antidote really quickly, the hunter sped towards the king naga with trusty Hyperion in hand. 

His eyes widened in shock and his face contorted in pain. The head of one of the silver back snakes had tackled him. Lifting up Hyperion, Seifer drove it into the naga's head. Black blood spurted out, covering the man's body. Minor discomfort, a few bruises, and a thumping increase of heartbeat from the surprise head butt, literally, were all Seifer came out with from the counterattack. Not bad at all, for the hunter. Terrible for the naga though, today was quite a massacre for the nagas. Enba would be making a huge profit from the snakes Seifer had killed today. What a wonderful hunt. 

Pulling out Hyperion from the silver back's head, Seifer continued forward, noting the pitiful blonde cat still hanging off the end of the golden snake's tail. Not for long, the hunter grinned, brandishing Hyperion at the hissing snake. It was shifting away from Enba, readying itself for a retreat. The hunter charged forward and leapt into the air. He was very close to the naga. A higher jump would have landed him onto the king snake's head. Looking downward, Seifer saw the auburn cat. Squall stood remorsefully by the naga king, looking with glassy eyes at the hunter. Did the cat look relieved that the hunter was unscathed or were Seifer's eyes playing tricks on him? He should not be thinking about that, focus focus, the snapped at himself. 

A noise of rustling from the bushes drew Seifer's attention away from cat. Were there snakes that he missed? Impossible. What else could it be? The naga that stood before him had only one tail… but the willows of Kasakoro concealed the rest of its body. It took a second, a mere second to realize his mistake… golden snakes had two tails and one had a… 

~~*~~ 

Squall let out a strangled cry. Seifer had ventured closer, too close. He was in the perfect range for the naga king to strike. One tail was out in the open, clutching onto Zell. While the other lurked in the shadow, this tail was far deadlier with a poisoned stinger. Some king nagas were born with two stingers, others just one. And now, the one stinger the naga king was blessed with had plunged through Seifer's back. Zell held his breath in. The damage looked painful. Cackling loudly, the naga king withdrew with stinger, whipping it in the air victoriously. 

"I bid thee adieu…" the naga king's eyes held a sinisterly glint. "Although thisssssssss attack hassssssss made me hungry… I wissssssssssh to dine upon the both of you before heading back to my den. I think I sssssssssssssshall. And yet… I think it would be fitting to eat the man who ssssssssslaughtered by beloved ssssssssister." 

The auburn cat rushed over to the hunter, holding back sorrow and tears. He forced all rational thought into his head. It would do the man no good if he were to sob uncontrollably. 

"You bastard…" Squall grit out. His claws marked the ground with a deep scar. 

"Oh, I am ssssssssscared." The naga king scoffed before snapping his jaws at the cat. Darting forward, the golden snake was ready to swallow the man and cat whole. Yet that was not to be. Squall had thrown himself at the naga king, digging his sharp claws into the snake's glassy eyes. It let out a shrill, strained cry. At the ear shattering noise, the hunter was roused from his near death slumber. Seifer weakly opened his eyes. He was a fool for not thinking over his opponent. He deserved to be eaten by a naga king for not thinking… but death did not come. His eyes opened and closed, showing him the cat he was to be rid off… riding atop the naga's head screaming bloody hell. 

"SQUAAAAAALL!" Zell was dropped onto the ground, feeling as if his shoulder had almost dislocated. He was held quite high up by the devious naga. The snake promised to spare the cats and only to kill the man. The bargain was obviously not kept if the king wanted to eat the felines. 

Seifer had to blink a few times to clear his vision. He needed to confirm that it was the auburn cat that was defending him. His eyes were still blurred, effects of the poison, but he still saw the cat driving its blood stained paws through the naga's skull. The king tried to buck the cat off. It would be foolish to stab the cat with its own poison stinger. The snake maybe immune to his own poison but he would not survive the sharp dagger like stinger that would go through the cat and his skull if he were to impale the beast. 

The hunter could not watch anymore, the poison was seeping through his system. A blue butterfly drifted above him, landing on his back. 

"Foolisssssssssh, beassssssssssst!" the naga king snarled. Only one eye was damaged. The good eye was glaring at the cat. It was no use, the king had to use the stinger and pray he did not perish in the process. 

"**STOP**." the naga halted. It was the voice of a god. The god of the cat beasts, one who was surrounded by brimstone and searing flames… it was Ifrit. 

"Your… excellency… pleassssssssssssssssse, I meant no harm. I only meant to teach the princely one a lesssssssssssssssssson. Mooning over a _human_." The king spat. The god was not moved by the words the naga had to say. Butterflies, blue ones, danced around Ifrit… their wing unseared by the red flames of the cat god. 

"**SILENCE. LEAVE THE MAN BE. RETURN OUR PRINCE AND KINSMEN. THEREAFTER BEGONE.**" The angered god boomed out. Cowering from the flames that surrounded him, the naga king capitulated for snakes of the borderlands feared fire above all. He lowered his crown, shaking Squall off and onto the ground. Sneering, the snake would taste his revenge on another day. Ifrit's aura of flames died down, leaving a tired and battered body before Zell, Squall and the dying human. It was tiring for the king of cats to transform into the godly Ifrit and back… but it was required of him as the leader of the pride. 

"…Father?" Squall wiped the black blood of the naga king against the grass. The deadly stinger barely missed him. His father, Laguna walked passed him and to the dying man. 

"Stay with him, Squall. I beg you." Laguna murmured, nudging the still human form. "He has a good heart… but is misguided. I knew his parents and him when I was younger… they were kindly folks. I beckon you, son. Stay with him." 

"Need not beg father." Squall let his tears fall. Zell stood by, shocked with what the king begged his son to do, but said nothing. The king, who was indeed silly and kittenish, was a wise one as well as a powerful and fair ruler. 

"An minor antidote will keep him alive, but it is best to seek out Enba healers." Laguna pawed through Seifer's bag, then tossing his son a few poison alleviating leafs. "Quickly too…" 

"Sire, we better go… I smell humans coming this way." The blonde cat looked away from his friend who was now nuzzling the hunter. Squall was trying to get the man's mouth open to feed him the antidote. Zell limped painfully, his shoulder did not dislocate but it hurt very much. 

"Great." Laguna's tail wagged in a very uncatlike manner. "Well son, we're off… take care of him, you hear me? I will send messengers to you soon, alright?" 

"Mm, take care Squall." Zell muttered; his back was still turned to his friend. The two cats hurried off before the Enba humans mistook them as Seifer's attackers too. Squall stood by the man, refusing to hide. The hunter was shivering; Squall laid atop the man to give him whatever warmth he could. 

Angry and worried hands pried Squall off and away from the man he fought for. He scratched and spat violently, the people of Enba thought he was rabid. Warm hands held Squall tightly as the doctors injected something to calm him. The same hands rubbed his back, regardless of the blood and grime that clung to his fur. Blonde long tresses tickled his nose. The smell, the soft rosy smell made he realize the hands that held him were Quistis'. Wet droplets hit his cheeks, was she… crying? 

"Se…Seifer." She cried softly, clutching onto Squall. He froze, what happened to the man? Why was she crying so sadly?! Before he could pry himself from the sorrowful lady, the darkness of sleep and the effects of the medicine dragged Squall downward into a painless spiral of unconsciousness. 

~~*~~ 

***~TO~BE~CONTINUED~***

_Time to lighten to atmosphere~! Here are replies to the madlib above. Woo hoo! I like totally killed the drama I created… >_;; goooo me~!_

Seifer, the [lobotomy] of [Vancouver], once had a [cough drop]. Only to be [jumpkicked] by a [Pringle(s)] named [Lex]. – from _Rita the Crawford Lover_

Seifer, the [strawberry] of [beach], once had a [puppy]. Only to be [swam] by a [sand] named [Karen]. – from _Janet the kitty lover_

Seifer, the [penis] of [Spain], once had a [feather]. Only to be [eaten] by a [juice] named [Julie].   
– from _Satan (aka Pegolas), my roommate_

**_Author says_**: Once again…what's with me/Julie and eating Seifer? Not that I mind… MUAHAHAHAHAHAHHA!! I eat Seifer! Yaaay~! He is the Penis of Spain! The Lobotomy of Vancouver and the Kitten of Japan. Hmmm... innnnnteresting.**>**

_Do you have a reply to this mad lib??? Tell me and I'll post it next time~!_


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